As some of our readers my have noticed - we have changed platform for our web. We have been using WordPress for a number of years - and then we started it was a giant step for us - and not at least the management of a website got closer to us as users. But still - we needed to ask developers for some specific functions and designs and we have through the years regretted that... If we only would have stayed with the original themes - we would have been able to update versions and changed themes as WordPress-world have developed.

Unfortunately we have been stuck - and not only that - as an average users we have been more or less on thin ice doing our posts and updates. Today - after transferring our content to Weebly and a new environment we have found our next platform. More user friendly and more like the services in the cloud we are getting used to now days.

_Today we have implemented a shop to our site - giving us an opportunity to sell our products to you - and hopefully you will buy some business tools from us. Together with AWeber we can now integrate e-mail marketing with our web in a very simple to maintain way. We have been practicing for some time - to gain knowledge and experience - but we can always be better - so please give us your feedback and comments.

I have collected some of my best tips and advises in an e-Book. I can´t promise they will work for you as they did for me - but it is worth a try to get out of the negative spiral.

Avoid to reach the point - use the tips and situations described to learn how to stay out of the negative stress zone.

Getting new customers is always a top priority activity in our Businesses To-Do-lists. It is the customer who pays your bills and brings you food on the table. How many hours a week do you really spend to get new customers?
In a solo enterprise there you are the one and only resource - you still have to be active in finding new customers and to make them buy your products and services. Are you able to adopt to your potential customers needs and behaviors? Or are you in "Marketing & Sales" mode just when it suites you and your calendar?

Specially if you have a business there you sell your "hours" to your customers, after an intense period of delivering to them you find your self with an empty order book. Because you didn´t have time to find new customers when you were busy. To find a balance between delivering and selling is one of the great challenges we face in a small business where we don´t have a sales department working full time with selling. What can we do about it when?

Just think about the opportunity to work from bed.

Either you can't sleep, waking up in the middle of the night or your eyes are crystal clear in the early morning. You don't need to get up to release your ideas or to share your decisions with partners.

This blog post is written using my iPad and the Weebly app. Weebly is the Tool we use for SMEBOX.

There is nothing such as ready and finished in a business that want to stay competitive and profitable.  At the same time we should not be stressed by this fact. We also need to be able to say "good enough" and to celebrate our successes and reaching our goals.

But - one big question is - How can I, as an owner of a small business, keep up with the demands from my customers and the market, keep ahead (or at least equal) with my competitors?  If you managed to hire some competent staff - how can you KEEP them and not at least keep THEM competitive?

We have always been learning more from customers and partners than from courses and academia. As Entrepreneurs we are always very result oriented and practical in our approach - not at least in implementing new ideas and possibilities in our business - on the run.

It doesn´t matter if you are realizing your dream, basing your business on an innovation, using your long time as employee collection of knowledge, or see running your own business as the only way to survive - we still meet the same challenges.

Selling flowers or running a web service have more in common than most of us normally think about. One of the best advises I got was to "copy the winner" - no matter what kind of business you run you can always learn from others that have succeeded.

Our aim is to give you new energy - new ideas - and some useful tools for your business - please let us know if you miss something - or want more of something you find here.

As owners of small businesses we are often fighting with our priorities - our must do, should do and could do. Running a business is not a regular job that you go to and come home from - running a business is a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week , activity.  You are never really free and no matter how much you work and results you manage - you could always do a bit more and there is always something calling you from your shop, desk or screen.

Even if the family is happy with a successful entrepreneur as mother/father, husband/wife, what they actually want is to spend more time with you. They want to travel, go to the beach, go to the mountains for some skiing or other activities they would appreciate.  Every time they bring it up - you are torn in two pieces and feel guilty to the one you abandon, the Family or your Business.

We have a solution for you - a combination of Work and Vacation:

"Worcation".  A perfect thing to do in order to take good care of yourself and the family - without the business suffering - on the contrary even the Business will be a winner.

Depending on what kind of business you are running and if you are alone or have some employees you will create a worcation that suites you - but actually all can do it. If you want to know more and find out how it could work for you download the e-Book "Worcation" and you will find a number of tips and techniques that helps you to get the most out of your worcation.

Happy Worcation!